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We are sorry that you have had a negative experience with the team at Worldwide Dive and Sail. We received several emails from you in regards to the incident on the S/Y Mandarin Siren and your concern over the safety of one of our crew members- Michel Clive, the last of which being 5th January 2012.

Our understanding, once you were assured of Michel's safety, is that you wished to visit him in Indonesia. We suggested you contact him directly as he would be better aware of his whereabouts than we. We then followed up and let you know he would be aboard the S/Y Indo Siren from 13th January. All of the crew of the S/Y Mandarin Siren were offered positions on our other yachts and assistance with further employment which, as I am sure you can imagine, was of great concern for all of our crew.

You also requested replacement for an ipod and Manchester United shirt that you had previously given to Michel as a gift. Company owner Mark Shandur informed you that all the crew had been given money not just by ourselves but the kind guests of the S/Y Indo Siren- which was in the vicinity at the time of the incident. Crew and guest belongings that could be claimed would be so under the company's insurance and Michel would receive a payout. If you had receipts you were asked to send them as that would help us greatly with the claim.

With regards to Michel's passport, Worldwide Dive and Sail provided Michel with a passport when he travelled to Thailand in 2009 prior to him joining the S/Y Mandarin Siren. That passport was lost before this incident however we would be more than happy to assist Michel in obtaining a new one should he request it. We have not received such a request from him at this time.

We fully agree with your comments regarding crew and we are proud that our crew work so hard, and always with a smile, to assist the guests and ensure everyone has a great holiday whichever yacht they are on.

In regards to your personal belongings left aboard the S/Y Mandarin Siren, as you have not previously made us aware that they were on board, there is little we can do now to claim for them.

If you would like to discuss further please feel free to pm through Wetpixel or email one of our team

I work at the head office of Worldwide Dive and Sail and I'm afraid that what Daniel has to say is basically true. While the exact details of the event are still somewhat unclear, what we do know is that a fire broke out below decks while the guests were on a morning dive. The origin of the fire is not yet fully confirmed but we believe that it was caused by an electrical fault in the tumble dryer in the laundry room and quickly spread to the engine room. Guests were not aboard at the time and therefore were never in any danger. The crew did everything they could but in the end were unable to contain the blaze and were forced to abandon the vessel which was subsequently lost. Daniel is correct that no one was hurt in the accident, and for that we are incredibly grateful -- no matter how great the loss to us it could have been very much worse.

Our other Indonesian vessel, the S/Y Indo Siren, was very near at the time of the accident and steamed immediately to pick up the guests and crew from the tender. A speedboat was immediately dispatched from Sorong to pick everyone up from the Indo Siren and return them as quickly as possible to Sorong where they were provided with fresh clothing, accommodation and assistance from our staff. The next day they were flown to Jakarta where Worldwide Dive and Sail owners and staff assisted them in obtaining emergency travel documents and they subsequently flew home to be with their families over New Year.

For all of us at Worldwide Dive and Sail this is a shock and a great loss, but as said above it could have been very much worse. We are very thankful that none of the guests or the crew were injured or worse. At this time we have refrained from making a full public announcement as we continue to gather complete information about the incident. Also we have a large number of guests booked on future trips aboard the Mandarin Siren through our network of agents, and in the interests of professionalism we are trying to notify the agents so that the guests may learn through them rather than from the general public. However an official announcement will be made as soon as we have done this and are certain of the sequence of events.

Thank you very much indeed for your concern, and also many thanks to everyone else who has sent their condolences in the past days.